This invention relates to substrate holders, and more particularly to a substrate cassette for optimizing megasonic cleaning of substrates supported therein.
In the production and manufacture of electrical components, it is a recognized necessity to be able to clean, etch or otherwise process substrates to an extremely high degree of cleanliness and uniformity. Various cleaning, etching, or stripping processes may be applied to the substrates a number of times in conjunction with the manufacturing steps to remove particulates, predeposited layers or strip resist, and the like.
One cleaning process that is often employed involves ultrasonic cleansing; that is, the application of high amplitude ultrasonic energy to the substrates in a liquid bath. More specifically, the ultrasonic energy is generally, but not limited to, the range of 0.60-1.00 MHz, and the process is termed megasonic cleaning. The liquid bath may comprise deionized water, standard cleaning solvents, dilute HF, sulfuric, phosphoric, organic strip, or the like. The amplitude and the length of time of application of the sonic energy are generally well known in the prior art.
Substrates are typically processed in batches, and likewise are generally cleaned in batches. For example, it is known in the prior art to support 20-50 substrates in a holder immersed in a megasonic bath for cleaning purposes. The holder (hereinafter, substrate cassette) maintain the substrates in a parallel array in regular spacing. It is known that megasonic energy is highly directional, and typically tends to impinge on the substrates in the cassette in an uneven manner. That is, the structural components of the substrate cassette comprise obstacles that block direct line-of-sight application of the sonic energy to some portions of some of the substrates, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the megasonic cleaning, etching, or stripping process and ultimately leading to a reduction in yield of those substrates.
One approach to overcoming this problem involves rotation of the substrates in the megasonic bath to expose all surface areas to sonic energy in a more uniform manner. Ironically, this tactic requires a cassette that is larger and more intricate than the stationary substrate cassettes, thereby blocking more of the megasonic energy. Moreover, the edge supports of the rotating substrates create friction and abrasion of the substrate edge surfaces, increasing the possibility of damage to the substrates as they are being cleaned or otherwise processed.
It is also possible to physically move the megasonic transducers in an attempt to eliminate the shadowed areas of the substrates in the cassette. This approach also leads to similar drawbacks and complexities that are not amenable to mass production and reliable results.